GPBC Blog

The times, they are a changin'

I told our elders when I stepped into this lead pastor role that the time would soon come when it would be important for me to step out of that role and for someone else to step in. That was eight years ago. Over a year ago I knew that the time had come for that transition so I recommended to the elders that we begin the search for the next pastor.

A search team was formed and they and the elders have been actively on the hunt for the right man for the job. The team reviewed over 350 resumes, conducted multiple interviews with the most promising of those, and then passed on to the elders the few that seemed to be a fit for our church. The elders then conducted several in-depth Skype interviews with those men and their wives. If there were no warning or caution indicators at that point, the man became a candidate and his references were interviewed and a background check, drug testing, and personality testing were completed.

During our worship hour this coming Sunday, I will be making an important and exciting announcement about the candidate that the search team and the elders believe is the best fit for our next lead pastor. Please make every effort to be in church this week for that announcement.

Greater Portland Bible Church has enjoyed wonderful stability and unity over the last several years. My message on Sunday will be about how we can remain unified and stable through the transition(s) we will be experiencing in the next few months. That’s another important reason to be with us on Sunday.

There are some exciting and probably some challenging times ahead of us, my friends. I believe the best years in the life of our church are ahead of us and I look forward to living them with all of you.